This invention relates generally to air conditioning units and, more particular, to a one-piece vent and exhaust door of a room air conditioner and means for actuating such door.
A room air conditioner is a self-contained unit having outdoor and indoor sections, which are divided by a transversely extending partition wall. The outdoor section includes a condenser coil and a fan for circulating outdoor air through the condenser coil and a fan fir circulating outdoor air through the condenser coil to thereby cool the refrigerant flowing through the system. The indoor section includes an evaporator coil an a blower which draws in the relatively warm room air, passes it through the evaporator coil to be cooled, and then discharges the cooled air back into the room.
Rather than continuously recirculating the same room air, it is sometimes desirable to exhaust some of the stale room air to the outside. Further, it may be desirable, especially in cooler ambient temperature conditions, to bring in the outdoor air for distribution into the room. These functions have traditionally been accomplished with the use of exhaust vent ports, respectively, which, when opened, allow the selective flow of air between the outdoor and indoor sections. The doors are commonly located in strategic positions so as to take advantage of the pressure differences to selectively cause the outdoor air to flow through the vent port into the indoor section or for the indoor air to flow through the exhaust port to the outdoor section.
Since the pressure differences are normally sufficient only for one or the other of the vent and exhaust functions but not for both simultaneously, it has become common practice to provide a single selector mechanism to operate both devices, with a single handle operating to open one door at a time. However, because of the need to locate the two doors in different locations, as required by the pressure drop needs discussed hereinabove, the control mechanism has normally been mounted on a different component from one or both of the doors. In some cases, even the vent and exhaust doors are mounted on different components. Typical of such devices is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,574 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. While effective, these devices have been relatively complex and have traditionally involved a relatively large number of interconnecting parts. Thus, besides the obvious disadvantages of complicating the assembly and operation processes, the proper spatial interrelationships between the various parts have been found to be somewhat difficult to establish and maintain. That is, not only is there a tolerance stackup from the combination of he numerous parts, but the difficulties in maintaining proper alignment in operation are exacerbated by the fact that these various components are attached to different mounting members whole relative positions are difficult to control. For example, in the system described in the above-mentioned patent, the doors are mounted to the partition but the operating levers are mounted to the control box. Since the position of the control box relative to the partition may vary, it may lead to an improper fit or operation of the control mechanism interconnecting the lever and the doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,742, Actuation Mechanism For Vent And Exhaust Doors, is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The ""742 patent discloses a room air conditioner having a scroll having vent and exhaust openings formed therewith. A vent door and an exhaust door are provided for selectively opening or closing the vent and exhaust openings. An actuator mechanism mounted to the scroll is mechanically linked to the vent and exhaust doors to provide the selective operation. While the ""742 patent strives to reduce the number of components in the system, it requires cam mechanisms, springs, and other connecting devices in order to coordinate the selective opening and closing of the doors. Accordingly, it continues to be desirable to minimize the number of components in and, accordingly, the cost of air conditioning units having both vent and exhaust capabilities.
A room air conditioner of the type having a partition dividing indoor and outdoor sections is provided with vent and exhaust openings for exhausting air into the outdoor section and for venting outdoor air into the indoor section. A combination vent and exhaust door is mounted on the partition in the outdoor section. The combination vent and exhaust door is configured to be selectively operable to a first position wherein the vent opening is closed and the exhaust opening is open, a second position wherein both the vent opening and the exhaust opening are closed and a third position wherein the vent opening is open and the exhaust opening is closed. An actuator mechanism is mechanically linked to the combination door for selectively operating the door to each of the three positions.